still repairing damages
by lazetta croft
Summary: After the civil war, Steve and the rest of the avengers decide to forget the issues and come back again. but tony is too smart to make the same mistake again. But Steve is stubborn and he catches up with Tony. Calamity strikes as Tony is shot and Pepper is kidnapped.
1. Chapter 1

"Just hold him off , Friday."  
Tony gulped large amounts of air while the machinery clicked, gears sounding. He dropped on the floor and curled up into himself. His shirt was quite dirty, but hey, who cared? Tony began drumming his chest to make sure he couldn't hear the shouts from outside.  
Xxx  
"Let us in Friday!"  
Steve Rogers shouted. His face was red with exertion. He wore a casual blue tee and black jeans. Clint stood beside him, probably cursing.  
Steve knew the archer had anger issues.  
Wanda was standing behind Clint, with an expression which was unreadable. Natasha glared at her. Sam and Scott were right next to Steve, shouting at the camera.  
"Friday!"  
" Mr Rogers, you are not allowed here."  
"Friday! I know that..."  
"KINDLY shut up. I will not conduct the mistake of letting you near boss again."  
Steve flinched. Mistake...  
" Friday, we are his friends!"  
"Rogers, friends don't beat friends to death because they favour another."  
A small latch opened in the door, Steve beginning to feel happy.

A gun.

" I don't have a body, but i can shoot."

Xxx  
"Sir i have executed the weapon threat trial."  
"Wait, what?" Tony spoke, getting up , feeling a strange feeling in his stomach.  
"I have executed the weapon threat trial on the fugitives."  
Avengers title missing. Cold.

Tony began to adore Friday without knowing it.

" I didn't ask you to..."

" Sir, you did ask to keep them out. Details of the mannerism of the action were not specified."

Tony smiled inwardly. It was a cruel smile.A sudden rush of contempt appeared on his face. He looked upwards, the ceiling of the labs spilling in his brown orbs.

" Friday?"  
"Yes boss?"  
" Have i told you that you are the best-est A.I ever ?"

" Yes sir."  
" I take it back. You are on the second number after Jarvis."  
" It burns sir." She deadpanned.  
Tony had to laugh heartily at that.  
Xxx  
"Incoming call sir. Source; telephone booth at Saffire square."  
Tony heaved himself into a standing position. His phone. His hair were disheveled , and his eyes were sunken in. His chest still hurt, but no one was present to watch him cringe at everything.  
" Telephone booth?" Tonny asked dramatically, trying to regain his snark." Any alerting news Fri?"  
"No sir. However..."  
" It is fine Fri, put me through."  
Friday didn't reply. Instead , there was a click.  
Buzzzz...buzzzz  
...

"Hello?" distant voice. Scared voice. Angry voice. At the same time.  
Regognised.  
"What the hell?" Tony exclaimed. His chest went tight again." Why did you call Rogers?"  
"Tony,I visited..." He seemed to calm down, " Your AI didn't allow...we miss you Tony."  
" I am not falling for this."  
"Tony, come on ..." whispers...confusion..." I know we fought and are on bad terms..." His voice broke.  
"Then you should not call me."  
He hung up. It burned him that he didn't feel like Steve was at burned him that Steve's apology was sincere.  
Tony slumped back in his seat, for once, allowing his mask to falter.  
Xxx  
"Steve?"  
Wanda flitted close to Steve.  
" No luck."  
"Oh." Wanda tilted her head a little and eyed her brown twirls nervously. Her ferocious red coat was replaced by a black top and blue jeans. Her hair were tied back.  
" Wanda?"  
"Yes ?"  
" You said you recognise our scents?"  
Wanda nodded feverishly . "Blood lust."  
" Can you keep a track on Tony? Whenever he is not at...When I can meet him?"  
Wanda smiled. " Steve. Why do you run after him? He is not a baby."  
Steve did not reply.  
Xxx  
" Steve?" Wanda called out. Her voice was hoarse: she had been sleeping." Tony is heading out. He is at the Chimes square."  
No response.  
Just heavy footsteps running out.  
Xxx  
Tony walked along the disgrace full footpath. He meant to have a showdown with a mustang, but didn't have the will to do that. Sometimes Tony could agree to throw all his money to live a normal life. People glared. Some recognising and clicking pictures. Tony didn't mind.  
" Excuse me?"  
Tony turned around to see a red haired girl in a hoodie, covering her face. She had an awkward jeans , kind of blue.  
" What is it Nat?" Tony asked, eyeing the bracelet she was wearing. Clint had given it to her, she never seemed to take it off.  
White teeth sparkled under the hood as Tony was pulled into an alley.  
There stood the rest of the avengers.

And Steve.

 **so sorry that wanda's scent tracking ability is idiotic. She cant do that. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Author is too lazy to bold this note  
Heyaa! I have my exam on Wednesday, so additions might be slow, but once i get a review, i never back away from a story. I will call steve , rogers in the fic, because i am much angrier than tony to treat him with respect.  
Steve fannies, i pray, ignore this story. Pass at your own risk.  
Xxx

A cat mewed in a distance.  
Tony stood like a stone in the dark alley. His hands were cold, but nothing compared to his chest. They balled in fists.  
Natasha took off the hood of her jacket.  
Tony glared at ste...rogers. So hard that his eyeballs were mere seconds of jumping and choking Natasha.(don't even ask how they can, they are stark eyes!)  
"tony , i am so happy to see you." the man at the other side sounded relieved. His blue eyes were a tumult of emotions,nearly pleading.  
" i am not." tony replied in his monotone.  
"so am i." Clint barked lightly. The sentence rang bells in both the sides.  
Tony turned about to leave.  
" tony , wait!" Steve lurched forward and grasped a hold of ,turning him around, so he could meet his face.  
" tony, we are a family."  
" tense mistake, never knew you were bummer in grammer rogers."  
Rogers? Ouch.  
" tony listen to me! I know you are angry, tony but you need to listen..."  
" just tell me your motive , rogers. Your care died weeks ago."  
Rogers straightened up, wiping his eyes for a second. " you know what? I should have killed you in Siberia." rogers muttered in anger, suddenly realising what he had said. Too late Mr rogers.  
Tony smiled nodding. He handed him a gun.  
" it is never to late."  
A shot rang out.  
Xxx  
Reviews are fuel!


	3. Chapter 3

Tony gasped and fell down to the floor.  
The temperature and the atmosphere dropped negatively.  
" tony?"  
Tony clutched his stomach smiling as blood began to spill from the wound.  
" t-thanks ."  
" no nononono!" rogers ran towards tony . Natasha called an ambulance.  
" tony, i am sorry! Tony...dont..."  
Natasha pushed Steve back on earth. His eyes were glazed over, more than tony.  
" not what after you did."  
" Natasha... I,.."  
"shut up."  
Clint tore of his shirt to stanch the bleeding. Tony was smiling throughout, though a wince here and there was visible.  
" Nat.. He ...someone else... Pep... Where is pep?" tony's eyes widened, as if pepper's absence was more painful than the wound.  
Before Natasha could answer, his eyes closed.  
Xxx  
"ARE YOU AND IDIOT?!"  
Natasha yelled , getting dangerously close to Steve, for a woman who could kill someone without breaking a sweat.  
The hospital corridor rang with sharp Russian swearing.  
"Natasha, i already told you, i didn't fire!" Steve replied, voice breaking a little.  
" Steve, even if you didn't consider him as your friend, you cannot shoot him!"  
" Natasha i didn't shoot!"  
" says the person with the gun!"  
" excuse me..." a new voice. The pair turned to a slender nurse with a chewing gum smacking in her mouth. Her small face was a spectacle, adorned with lashy eyes and pointy nose. Her lips continued to chew as she applied a hand to her waist." i would request to keep it low after you meet the lady which is waiting for you outside."  
Steve nodded. Clint , Sam and Wanda glared at him mercilessly.  
No one was this forgiving.  
Xxx  
Steve walked into the parking lot. It was stashed with cars. Cheap, medium and rich Porsches. Steve found rage in human form beside the mustang.  
Virginia pepper potts.  
Steve braced smiled sweetly. She walked closer and...  
Thwack!  
Steve was taken aback with the slap. His ears rang.  
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ROGERS!"  
" ma'am i didn't pull the..."  
"YEAH, TONY WAS SHOT BY THE AIR! DO YOU EVEN KNOW THE VALUE OF TRUST!"pepper's eyes were red. Happy and vision stood in a protective crowd, finally coming out of the car.  
" ma'am i didn't shoot,and he asked me to shoot him!"  
" AWESOME! SO YOU SHOOT HIM!"  
"I DIDN'T!" rogers yelled, finally frustrated.  
" there was no need to ' didn't shoot.' " pepper muttered quietly." you already murdered him in Siberia."  
With the last note , she finally ran out of the parking, tears spilling down her face.

read authors note only if you wanna break the suspense.

Steve didn't shoot.


	4. whatever is in a name

To say that pepper was angry, was an understatement. She was boiling. Burning. Churning. She was dying by every passing second in the hospital. The only reassuring thing was the steady beeping of the heart monitor, and the relaxed rise and fall of tony's chest.  
'he's alive.' she would reassure herself. And then again, she felt like crying because she was lying to herself.  
Tony died in Siberia.  
Only Mr. Stark, the name came back.  
The snark, the lovely ness of his actions, the warmth of his chestnut eyes, gone.  
And the reason was probably ..just...pepper was too smart to waste her time about thinking of such a vile ...object.  
Pepper felt angry.  
Angry at herself for leaving tony alone. Angry at Steve for..everything. Angry at bucky for...pepper wont think another thing that would make her cry. Not in front of the...fugitives.  
She stood up, dusted herself, and left for the washroom.  
Xxx  
Clint felt like someone had planted his shoe in his face.  
'its never too late.'  
How could Steve...?  
Clint was tortured by the look tony gave when he was only thing, in his pale body when he was bleeding out was...  
Happiness.  
Why would he be so happy to die? What had driven him to it? What happened in Siberia? Clint remembered the tumult inside pepper's eyes when she spoke the word 'siberia' in the parking. Even Natasha was not informed. What happened?  
Clint wanted to ask tony, but didn't want to see his reaction at the question.  
He wanted to talk to the genius.  
He wanted to observe the mechanic.  
He wanted to meet the stark again.  
But for now,he missed tony.  
Xxx  
" umm...are you Natasha romanoff?"  
Natasha turned towards the direction of the boy. Blondish hair. Average height. Dimple at the right. something in the jacket, poking out a little. Natasha saw the unmistakeable glint of a red capsule.  
" yes. I guess you are in the wrong room. I am not so good to children."  
" isn't tony here?" the boy asked, stepping in the room.  
" who are you?"  
" he," vision deadpanned, announcing his presence in the room, " is harley keener, an old friend of Mr stark. ".  
"oh." when did tony started befriending kids?  
Whatever the problem was, Natasha realised that she never knew tony.  
Xxx  
Pepper wiped her face with a expensive handkerchief. She turned the tap off and stared her reflection in the mirror. The washroom was empty, and somehow clean.{unexpected}  
She began dabbing her eyes to remove any traces of ...her eye sweat. :€  
Behind her , stood a woman in a tuxedo,aiming a gun at her face.

Author is too lazy, tired and busy to bold this note.  
Thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome!  
Ummm...so this is turning into a suspense story. I wont kill pepper, though. Tony will murder me.  
I know i added to many these things '...' yeah, these dots. Too many of them. Obviously.

Oh god, i am too tired. I attended a party today, it was like, sitting eating, done.  
I cant believe that i am too tired.  
First,readers forgive, because i write on the phone till my exams are over; computer is a strict no-no right now. The detention policy is back im schools. Poor thirteen year old.  
Second; review!


	5. waking up

Tony could hear voices.  
Muffled ones.  
" ..e should ...pepper...gone..." hard voice. Man.  
"yea...ste...hit..." dark voice. Deadpanning. Definately Natasha.  
And dear God, everything hurt. So bad. Tony smelled the air. Hospital. Yay!

Tony began placing his memories in place. He was used to this. Waking up in a hospital. No matter how much he revolted. Avenger business is risky, after all.  
Siberia,...oh leave that part... Vision finds him...,home...rhodey...raft...ross...friday...rogers...gun.  
Gunshot.  
Blood.

Oh right. They would blame him.  
Tony's eyes flew open to see Rhodey and Natasha babbling over his side.  
Yeah Tony was correct. It was a hospital. Yucks.  
Tony took shuddering breathes.  
" hey guys." he blurted out weakly, astonished at his own voice.  
Both the heads flew towards his side as if the building had collapsed.  
"tony?" Natasha muttered. He smirked at her opening his mouth to speak , but decided to take in his surroundings.  
Pain in hand...hmmm...IV tube. Shit.  
Pain in torso. Bullet shot. Means surgery. Shit.  
Rogers not in the room ; tired . Or eating his heart out in guilt. Or natashalie chewed him off. All the three options were bad. Shit.  
The small table at tony's side was filled with medecines and a glass of water.

Tony made an effort to sit up, groaning as a pang of pain shot him.  
" woah, easy genius." rhodey spoke lightly.  
Rhodey was wearing casual clothes, knowing that Tony needed someone less formal during his ordeal. Hero of a man.  
Tony snuggled back In his bed.  
" Tony, I will be right back." rhodey smiled, showing his awful dimple." there is a suprise!"  
" rhodey listen..."  
But rhodey was already out of the room.  
Leaving 'natashalie' alone with him.  
She glared at Tony. Tony glared at him.  
" Natasha. Steve didnt shoot me."  
Natasha's eyebrows turned up giving a passable astonished expression. Tony could have sworn that her red hair flew up in curiousity, just like a bulb lightens up. Tony could have laughed, this woman never expressed any emotion, but not now. If she was concerned, that meant Steve was definately not fine. Had Natasha eaten him alive?  
" what?" Natasha muttered, after minutes of awkward staring and silence.  
" he didnt shoot. Didnt even pull the trigger. There was someone on the building behind Steve. Remember the alley?"  
Natasha sighed. " Tony, even if Steve didnt shoot, how would the shooter know that you would give the gun to Steve? That Steve will get angry? Where we were going to meet?"  
Tony smiled awkwardly, running a pale hand over his goatee.  
" there were people following me. Attempt to assasination."  
" why would...oh right." Natasha sighed again, this time heavily. Of course. Tony was a billionare. And the scapegoat. People blamed him for everything.  
" I guess," Tony continued , realising that Natasha was still confused. " one of them, still following me, siezed the opportunity, got scott free."  
"well," Natasha straightened up and smiled, waving her hands in the air nonchalantly, " your theory has more holes than Swiss cheese."  
" I agree." Tony raised his un-IV-ed hand like a child says' present ma'am!'  
They both laughed heartily.

" well, getting along already?"  
A voice. They both turned towards rhodey, who hd opened the door, letting the cacaphony from outside, enter inside. And in between the silent room and the busy corridor,was a small harley keener.  
"Tony! You are awake!"  
Tony gaped , astonished, at the small peppy kid, running towards his bedside.  
Harley seemed a tad more taller than the last time Tony met him. His curls danced as he happily hopped on tony's bed, dimple going crazy.  
" woah, kid," Tony spoke, suprised eyes shielding his happiness, " I didnt even know you were coming. "  
"well..." harley scratched the back of his head. " you seemed quite troubled when you called me last night."  
" I called you?"  
" yeah. You were having a panic...mumfh!" harley exclaimed as Tony thrusted a hand over his mouth.  
" fine, I got it." Tony replied, earning glares from the other people present in the room.  
Harley and Tony talked for some time.( rambled.) while Natasha and rhodey sat down, watching the duo. Tony emitted unmasked fondness for the kid.

" umm...may I speak?"  
Vision entered the room.( through the door! Through the door!) he looked quite idiotic wearing a normal suit.  
Tony nodded , " yeah?"  
" miss potts has been taken."


	6. Chapter 6

Author is too lazy to bold this note.  
Heyya!  
Firstly.  
Pepper lives. Tony lives. Steve lives.

Nobody dies in my fic.  
Second; this chapter is about pepper.  
And ya! I need suggestions for tony's reactions. Anyone?  
Cool down ,, breath, play gta or something and crash a car. Brings relief to be a gangsta .  
Thanks!

Pepper coughed .  
It was hoarse. Her neck ached. She was blindfolded. Ahh! Great.  
All those lectures from tony...  
' i am an avenger , pep, you will be in danger...i need to protect you..."

.

.  
Pepper didn't cry easily. She never did. She was a strong woman, fiery when she needed to. Well almost, because whenever tony was at stake, she...did... Okay.  
But what of tony?

He would be devastated.

Tony already didn't trust anyone much. And without pepper...  
Pepper was fully aware of the walls tony made around him. Only pepper fully knew tony. The rest of the world knew mr stark, the merchant of death, the -playboy. Philanthropist.  
Oh god. Pepper totally forgot about herself.  
She began feeling her surroundings. Something yuck in her mouth. Yuck.  
Pepper moved her tied hands before her. A wall. Cold. Cell hmm... Pepper leaned a little forward. The air was cold. A lot. Pepper felt her suit that she was wearing at the hospital. The cut broche was missing, estimation, because moving her hands seemed impossible to pepper.  
" ahhhh ,she is awake..."  
Voice . Pepper determined the direction. Her left. Hmm... No way of escape from there.  
" ooh..hey blondie." a figure touched her cheeks. Slender hands. Woman.  
People forget that she is related to tony stark.  
Pepper bit back the urge to bite.  
" open her eyes." another voice.  
Something ticked.  
No way.

Justin hammer?

xxx

shortest chapter ever. Sorry! I barely managed to write this one. :( exam torcher.

~khushboo


	7. Chapter 7

**I AM BACK.**  
 **I. AM. BACK.**  
 **IAMBACK.**  
 **I AM BACK!**  
 **I AM BACK GUYS!**

 **Merci beaucoup. Just felt like screaming that.**  
 **So , I am returning to all of my stories! Specially, I will finish this one, with improvements.**  
 **P.s about my result; it went amazing! I got 9.8 CGPA out of 10 and will now recieve a scholar batch! Yay!**  
 **Thanks to everyone who is still reading!**

Ch-7  
Bruce sighed, watching tony's chest fall up and down in a rythem. His face was contorted in pain. They had to sedate him, because he went into the extreme stages of panic.  
Well, he had a legit reason for it.  
Bruce couldn't imagine the agony tony was going through. Pepper was kidnapped. Of course the poor genius would be troubled. Pepper meant everything to him.  
Bruce sent his silent support through his hand, clutching tony's .  
His eyes were on rhodey, an image of panic.  
"how?!" he exclaimed, eyebrows going up. He gaped at vision.  
" i don't know sir. There was a note regarding the kidnapping. They want sir , alone. "  
Rhodey clutched his head. Tony? Or pepper?  
" i am not risking tony." rhodey blurted without thinking.  
"and what about pepper?" bruce asked. Rhodey fell silent.  
" did the letter... Do we know who it is?" bruce interjected.  
"Justin hammer."  
Rhodey felt sick. Memories of the race ...the haunted face of tony in the lab..,palladium...the expo.. All came rushing back.  
"do you know him?" Bruce asked earnestly. Rhodey nodded. "yeah. Old rival of tony."  
Bruce nodded, waving away a nurse coming near him with a tray of coffee. The nurse looked quite angry for being ignored, so rhodey took a cup .  
"he probably wants his revenge." rhodey muttered.  
"why?" vision inquired. If his calm in such a situation bothered rhodey, he would never know.  
" isn't that obivuous?"  
"sorry."  
Rhodey nodded and turned towards tony who was probably the most panicked even in his sleep.  
Rhodey rubbed his head.  
"i need to talk to nick fury."  
XXX  
Pepper stared at hammer. And she realised how badly she needed a hammer.  
"well, Miss potts, wont you say anything?" Justin asked, face warding off false sympathy. He moved a step closer.  
" should have known you would stoop this low." pepper spat with a daring smirk.  
" my, my," Justin smiled bending over pepper and pulling her chin dangerously close to his face. " Tony has definately taught you manners." he inspected her face, wiping stray hair off her face. " dont worry, I will teach him some when he gets here." his words dripped unmasked venom.  
" what do you mean?" pepper asked , perplexed. Though her brain knew the answer, her heart refused to comprehend it.  
"that means," Justin droped pepper's chin, savouring her expression, " that you, miss potts, are leverage."  
He smirked at pepper's broken expression, leaving her to her own thoughts

 **so sorry for sedating Tony! Actually, I couldnt figure out his reaction. But Tony will save pepper! Telling ya!**

.


End file.
